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Background:Health outcomes in spondyloarthritis (SpA) are largely determined by socioeconomic (SE) factors, leading to the great inequity observed between countries across the world. However, the impact of these SE factors on health outcomes across the different SpA phenotypes (axSpA, pSpA and PsA), is less well known.Objectives:To investigate (1) the association between individual and country-level SE factors and health outcomes in different SpA phenotypes, and (2) to explore whether any effect of these SE factors is mediated by the use of b/tsDMARD therapy.Methods:Patients with axSpA, pSpA or PsA from the multinational cohort ASAS-perSpA were included in the analysis. The effect of individual (age, gender, education and marital status) and country-level SE factors (Gross Domestic Product [GDP], Healthcare Expenditure [HCE], Human Development Index [HDI], Gini Index) over health outcomes (ASDAS≥2.1, continuous ASDAS, BASFI, fatigue and ASAS-HI) were assessed in multivariable mixed-effects logistic and linear regression models (as appropriate), adjusting for confounders. Interactions between each individual and country-level SE factors and disease phenotype and between both levels of SE factors, were tested. Finally, a mediation analysis was conducted to explore whether the impact of country-level SE factors on ASDAS is mediated through b/tsDMARD uptake.Results:A total of 4185 patients from 23 countries were included: 61% males, mean age 45 (SD 14), 65% axSpA, 10% pSpA and 25% PsA. Female gender, lower educational level and marital status (single vs married) were associated with higher ASDAS, without significant differences across disease phenotype. Living in lower-(vs higher) GDP countries was also associated with higher ASDAS (β=0.39 [95%CI 0.16; 0.63], with similar results for other economic indicators (Figure 1). 7% of the association between GDP and ASDAS was mediated by b/tsDMARD uptake. The above-mentioned individual and country-level SE factors remained significant to discriminate active disease (ASDAS≥2.1), with greater impact of gender (OR=1.32 [1.13; 1.54]), educational level (primary vs university OR=1.76 [1.40;2.20]) and lower GDP (OR= 1.74 [1.22;2.46]). Higher BASFI was also associated with gender (female vs male: β=0.12 [0.01; 0.24]), lower education (primary vs university: β=0.29 [0.11; 0.46], and marital status (single vs married: β=0.23 [0.09; 0.38]), without effect of country-level SE factors, and no differences across SpA phenotype. Gender and lower educational level were similarly associated with worse ASAS-HI scores (female vs male β=0.88 [0.68;1.09], and primary vs university β=0.61 [0.31;0.91]), while more fatigue was only associated with female gender and, in an opposite direction, with higher country-level SE factors (Figure 1). No interactions were found between individual and country-level SE factors for any of the outcomes.Conclusion:Individual (female gender and lower education) and country-level SE factors are independently associated with higher disease activity in SpA. Uptake of b/tsDMARD had a small mediating effect on the association between GDP and ASDAS. Lower education and female gender are also associated with worse outcomes of functional disability, global functioning and fatigue. Country-level SE factors are not associated with functional disability or global functioning; in contrast, there is a paradoxical effect with fatigue: living in a country with a higher SE status is independently associated with higher levels of fatigue. Management of disease outcome in SpA requires also awareness of the role of individual and country level SE-factors.Figure 1.Effect of individual and country-level socioeconomic factors on ASDAS and fatigue, derived from multivariable mixed-effects models adjusted by clinical confounders.Disclosure of Interests:Dafne Capelusnik Speakers bureau: BMS, Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Sizheng Steven Zhao: None declared, Annelies Boonen: None declared, Nelly Ziade Speakers bureau: Roche, Abbvie, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Janssen, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Apotex, Pharmaline, Paid instructor for: Abbvie, Eli Lilly, Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer, Janssen, Consultant of: Roche, Abbvie, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Janssen, Novartis, Gilead, NewBridge, Grant/research support from: Abbvie, NewBridge, Algorithm/Celgene, Clementina López-Medina: None declared, Maxime Dougados: None declared, Elena Nikiphorou Speakers bureau: Pfizer, Lilly, AbbVie, Sofia Ramiro Speakers bureau: Lilly, MSD, Novartis, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, UCB, Sanofi, Grant/research support from: MSD

Background:Managing patients with chronic rheumatic diseases is increasingly relying on the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team, including the rheumatology nurse who can aid assessment of disease activity among other healthcare tasks.However, this practice, although common in Europe and North America, is still poorly implemented in the Middle eastern Arab countries (MEAC).Objectives:To evaluate the concordance between the physician’s and the nurse’s assessment of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the MEAC.Methods:During a routine patient visit to one of 9 rheumatology clinics located in 7 Middle Eastern Arab countries, the physician and the rheumatology nurse (who was already working in the clinic) performed the disease activity score 28 (DAS), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and Simple Disease Activity Index (SDAI) in a blinded manner. The concordance regarding the 3 continuous scores was calculated using paired t-test. The agreement between physician- and nurse-DAS categories (remission, low, moderate and high disease activity) was calculated using weighted kappa for category comparison. Predictive factors of positive concordance between physician- and nurse-DAS were identified using binary logistic regression.Results:The study included 373 patients’ measurements over a period of two years (2018 to 2019). The mean age of the patients was 49.6 years (±28.2), 82.6% were females, and the mean disease duration was 11.3 years (±7.5).The mean physician-DAS was slightly higher (3.97 (±1.52)) than the nurse-DAS (3.90 (±1.54)) (p=0.002), with a mean difference of +0.08 [95%CI 0.03; 0.12] (Table 1). The difference in the DAS individual items, the CDAI and the SDAI were not statistically significant.Table 1.Comparison of the disease activity measures reported by the physician and by the nurse.PhysicianNursep-valueTotal Joint Count4.87 (2.26)5.02 (6.20)0.152Swollen Joint Count2.13 (3.88)2.15 (3.83)0.790Global Assessment3.30 (2.41)3.32 (2.43)0.702DAS-283.97 (1.52)3.90 (1.54)0.002CDAI14.26 (12.53)14.38 (12.59)0.515SDAI21.51 (23.57)21.61 (21.66)0.527When analyzing DAS as a categorical 4-items variable, the agreement between the physician and the nurse was present in 79.36% of the cases (weighted kappa was 0.77 [95%CI 0.73;0.83] which is considered as excellent, and was higher in patients with high disease activity (Figure 1).A positive concordance between the physician- and the nurse-DAS was associated with the country (higher in Egypt, pConclusion:The agreement between the DAS-28 performed by the physician and by the nurse was excellent and was associated with the country and a higher disease activity. The present study confirms that the support of a trained nurse for evaluating disease activity in RA is feasible in the Arab countries and may save some valuable time in the clinic, whilst maintaining the quality of care for patients with RA.Figure 1.Agreement between physician- and nurse-DAS categoriesAcknowledgements:The authors would like to acknowledge the patients for participating in the study and the assistants/ students/ nurses who assisted in the data collection: Dr. Fatima Abdul Majeed Al Hawaj, M. Atef Ahmed, M. Mohammad Alhusamiah, Ms Raquel De Guzman, Ms Lina Razzouk.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Background:In patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), root joint diseases (RJD), i.e. hip or shoulder involvement, may be associated with a distinct disease phenotype compared to those with other affected joints. The ASAS-PerSpA study (PERipheral involvement in SPondyloArthritis) [1], offers a unique opportunity to study the phenotypes of patients with RJD in a global cohort.Objectives:Primary objective was to compare the clinical characteristics of SpA patients with and without RJD. Secondary objectives were to compare the prevalence of RJD across the different SpA subtypes and the different regions of the world, compare the severity of axial disease as well as the disease burden in SpA patients with and without RJD.Methods:This is a post-hoc analysis of the ASAS-PerSpA study, which included 4,465 patients with any subtype of SpA (axial SpA (axSpA), peripheral SpA (pSpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), inflammatory bowel disease associated SpA (IBD-SpA), reactive arthritis (ReA) and Juvenile SpA (Juv-SpA)) according to the rheumatologist’s diagnosis. RJD was defined as a positive answer by the investigator to the following question: “Do you consider that the patient has ever suffered from RJD (e.g. hip, shoulder) related to SpA?” In case of a positive answer, a potential specific treatment (e.g. Total Articular Replacement) was investigated. The patient’s characteristics were compared between those with and without RJD involvement, using Chi-2 or Fisher exact test for the categorical variables and t-test for the continuous variables. Two separate multivariable stepwise binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with the dependent variables “hip involvement” and “shoulder involvement”.Results:RJD occurred in 1,503 patients (33.7%), with more prevalent hip (24.2%) than shoulder (13.2%) involvement. The prevalence of RJD as a group was the highest in Juv-SpA (52.7%), followed by pSpA (44.3%) and axSpA (33.9%). The highest prevalence of RJD was found in Asia and the lowest in Europe and North America. Among patients with hip involvement, 6.0% had a history of hip replacement (highest in the Middle East and North Africa and Latin America); among patients with shoulder involvement, 0.8% had a history of shoulder replacement. Hip had a distinct pattern of associations compared to shoulder involvement (Figure 1). Hip involvement was significantly associated with the SpA main diagnosis (highest in pSpA, lowest in PsA), younger age at first SpA symptom, lower prevalence of family history of psoriasis, positive HLA-B27, occiput-to-wall distance>0, and treatment with cs-DMARDs and b-DMARDs. Shoulder involvement was associated with the SpA main diagnosis (highest in Juv-SpA and pSpA, lowest in axSpA), older age at first SpA symptom, higher prevalence of enthesitis, dactylitis, tender joints count, IBD, occiput-to-wall distance>0, EQ5D score and treatment with cs-DMARDs.Conclusion:Hip involvement was more prevalent than shoulder involvement in patients with SpA, and had a distinct phenotype resembling axial disease whereas shoulder involvement was mostly associated with features of peripheral disease. Hip and shoulder involvement should be analyzed separately in future studies rather than under the RJD entity.References:[1]Lopez-medina, C. et al. Prevalence and Distribution of Peripheral Musculoskeletal Manifestations in Axial Spondyloarthritis, Peripheral Spondyloarthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Results of the International, Cross-sectional ASAS-PerSpA Study. RMD Open; 2021;7:e001450.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Background:Patients with a diagnosis of Spondyloarthritis (SpA) and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) may have predominant axial or peripheral symptoms, and the frequency and distribution of these symptoms may determine the clinical diagnosis by the rheumatologist (“clinical clusters”). Clustering analysis represents an unsupervised exploratory analysis which tries to identify homogeneous groups of cases (“statistical clusters”) without prior information about the membership for any of the cases.Objectives:To identify “statistical clusters” of peripheral involvement according to the specific location of these symptoms in the whole spectrum of SpA and PsA (without prior information about the diagnosis of the patients), and to evaluate whether these “statistical clusters” are in agreement with the “clinical clusters”.Methods:Cross-sectional and multicentre study with 24 participating countries. Consecutive patients considered by their treating rheumatologist as suffering from either PsA, axial SpA (axSpA) or peripheral SpA (pSpA) were enrolled. Four different cluster analyses were conducted: the first one using information about the specific location from all the peripheral musculoskeletal manifestations (i.e., peripheral arthritis, enthesitis and dactylitis), and thereafter a cluster analysis for each peripheral manifestation individually. Multiple correspondence analyses and k-means clustering methods were used. Distribution of peripheral manifestations and clinical characteristics were compared across the different clusters.Results:4465 patients were included in the analysis. Two clusters were found with regard to the location of all the peripheral manifestations (Fig. 1). Cluster 1 showed a low prevalence of peripheral manifestations in comparison with cluster 2; however, when peripheral involvement appeared in cluster 1, this was mostly represented by arthritis of hip, knee and ankle, as well as enthesitis of the heel. Patients from cluster 1 showed a higher prevalence of males (63% vs 44%), HLA-B27 positivity (69% vs 38%) and axial involvement (80% vs 52%), as well as more frequent diagnosis of axSpA (66% vs 21%) and more frequently fulfilling the ASAS axSpA criteria (69% vs. 41%). Patients from cluster 2 showed a higher prevalence of psoriasis (63% vs 25%), a more frequent diagnosis of PsA (61% vs 19%), and they fulfilled more frequently the peripheral ASAS (26% vs 11%) and the CASPAR criteria (57% vs 19%).Figure 1.Distribution of the peripheral involvement across clustersThree clusters were found with regard to the location of the peripheral arthritis. Clusters 2 and 3 showed a high prevalence of peripheral joint disease, although this was located more predominantly in the lower limbs in cluster 2, and in the upper limbs in cluster 3. Cluster 1 showed a higher prevalence of males, HLA-B27 positivity, axial involvement, a lower presence of psoriasis, a more frequent diagnosis of axSpA and fulfilling the ASAS axSpA criteria in comparison with clusters 2 and 3, respectively. Clusters 2 and 3 showed a higher prevalence of enthesitis and dactylitis in comparison with cluster 1, a more frequent diagnosis of PsA and fulfillment of the CASPAR criteria.Information about the location of enthesitis exhibited three groups: cluster 1 showed a very low prevalence of enthesitis, while cluster 2 and 3 showed a high prevalence of enthesitis, with a predominant involvement of axial enthesis in cluster 2 and peripheral enthesitis in cluster 3.Finally, the analysis of dactylitis also exhibited three clusters that showed a very low prevalence of dactylitis, predominantly toes and predominantly fingers involvement, respectively.Conclusion:These results suggest the presence of heterogeneous patterns of peripheral involvement in SpA and PsA patients without clearly defined groups, confirming the clear overlap of these peripheral manifestations across the different underlying diagnoses.Acknowledgements:This study was conducted under the umbrella of ASAS with unrestricted grant of Abbvie, Pfizer, Lilly, Novartis, UCB, Janssen and Merck.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Background:Involving the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the assessment of their disease may increase their adherence to treatment, improve the disease outcomes and facilitate the application of telehealth. We previously reported an excellent concordance between the Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) performed by physicians and patients at the baseline visit of this prospective study (1).Objectives:To evaluate the persistence of the concordance between the physician’ and the patient’s assessment of disease activity in RA using DAS-28 after one year.Methods:At the baseline visit, patients with RA from 7 Middle Eastern Arab Countries (MEAC) were briefed about DAS-28 by their rheumatologist during a routine consultation and given smartphone access to a video in Arabic language explaining the performance of DAS-28. At 3, 6 and 12 months (± 3 months), the patients were asked to self-report DAS-28, blinded to the physician’s assessment. Concordance between the continuous DAS-28 at each visit was calculated using paired t-test numerically and the Bland-Altman method graphically. Agreement between physician- and patient-DAS categories (remission, low-, moderate- and high disease activity) was calculated at each visit using weighted kappa for category comparison. Weighted kappa of the different agreements were compared over time using their respective confidence intervals (CIs). Predictive factors of positive concordance between physician and patient-DAS were identified using binary logistic regression.Results:The study included 428 patients over a period of three years (2018 to 2020). The mean age of participants was 49.8 years, 82.5% were females, 44.3% had a university degree and the mean disease duration was 11.4 years.At baseline, the average patient-DAS was higher (4.06 (±1.52)) than the physician-DAS (3.97 (±1.52)). The mean difference was -0.09 [95%CI -0.14; -0.04] and most of the pairs were within the limit of agreement in the Bland-Altman graph, indicating a good concordance, particularly in cases of remission.During the study follow-up, 299 patients consulted for visit 2 (69.9% of the total population), 232 for visit 3 (54.2%) and 199 for visit 4 (46.5%). The weighted kappa was 0.80 [95%CI 0.76;0.85] at visit 1 and 0.79 [95%CI 0.72;0.88] at visit 4 (Figure 1 showing kappa for DAS-28, CDAI and SDAI as well). A minor numerical decrease in kappa was observed over time; however, the CIs were overlapping over the four visits and the agreement was considered stable, remaining in the excellent range. At visit 4, a positive concordance between the physician- and the patient-DAS was associated with the profession (lower in blue collar, p=0.001), the educational level (higher in high school and university, p=0.034) and the baseline physician’s DAS (higher in high disease activity, p=0.46).Conclusion:The agreement between the DAS-28 performed by the physician and by the patient was excellent at baseline and remained stable over one year. A positive concordance was associated with the profession, the educational level and the level of disease activity. The present study can help the rheumatologist make informed decisions about the patients who may be suitable for a remote evaluation of their disease activity, that can be of particular interest in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.References:[1]Ziade N, Saad S, al Mashaleh M, et al. Perceptions of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis about Self-Assessment of Disease Activity after Watching an Educational Video: Qualitative Pilot Results from the Auto-DAS in Middle Eastern Arab Countries Study [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018; 70 (suppl 10).Acknowledgements:The authors would like to acknowledge the patients for participating in the study and the assistants/ students/ nurses who assisted in the data collection: Dr. Fatima Abdul Majeed Al Hawaj, M. Atef Ahmed, M. Mohammad Alhusamiah, Ms Raquel De Guzman, Ms Lina Razzouk.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Background:Spondyloarthritis (SpA) and Familial Meditaerranean fever (FMF) may co-exist in certain populations, and have some overlapping manifestations (oligo-arthritis, hip involvement). Their association may impact disease phenotype and may affect disease management.Objectives:To evaluate the association of SpA and FMF and its impact on disease phenotype and management.Methods:A systematic literature search was conducted with the keywords spondyloarthritis and familial mediterranean fever from Janurary 1990 to January 2020 in PubMed and using manual cross-reference methods.Results:The search retrieved 74 articles, out of which 37 articles were relevant to the study question; most of the articles were case reports, with some large cohort studies of FMF and SpA (Flowchart in Figure 1).In large FMF cohorts, the prevalence of SpA was higher compared to the general population (7.5-13%, OR around 10). M694V was a risk factor for SpA. These FMF-SpA patients were older at diagnosis, had lower fever attacks, and higher disease duration, inflammatory back pain, chronic arthritis, enthesopathy, persistent inflammation and higher resistance to Colchicine. In case series, they were responsive to anti-TNF therapy.In large SpA cohorts, MEFV mutation, particularly M694V, was found in 15-35% (even without associated FMF). In most cohorts, MEFV mutation carriers didn’t have any distinct disease phenotype, except for some reports of higher ESR, more hip involvement, higher BASFI and higher BASDAI. Genome-wide association studies and case reports suggest an implication for IL-1 and thus a role for Anakinra therapy in these patients.Conclusion:In FMF or SpA patients with resistance to conventional therapy, the evaluation of disease association should be performed as it may have significant impact on disease management.References:[1]Li et al, Plos Genetics 2019. Watad et al, Frontiers Immunol 2019. Atas et al, Rheumatol Int 2019. Cherqaoui et al, JBS 2017. Zhong et al. Plos One 2017. Ornek et al, Arch Rheumatol 2016. Cinar et al, Rheumatol Int 2008. Durmur et al, JBS 2007.Figure 1.Flowchart of the systematic literature search (Spondyloarthritis, Familial Mediterranean Fever; January 1990-2020).Disclosure of Interests:Nelly Ziade Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Aref Nassar: None declared

Background Nurses work in a physically and emotionnally stressful envirnment, which could lead to increased fibromyalgia symptoms. Objectives To estimate the prevalence of fibromyalgia symptoms in nurses from Hotel Dieu de France and North Center Hospitals and to determine predictive factors. Methods The study was conducted using a questionnaire distributed to all registered nurses working in the two hospitals in November 2014. For fibromyalgia screening, we used the validated French version of London fibromyalgia epidemiology study screening questionnaire (LFESSQ). The screening was considered positive if a subject met four criteria of pain and two criteria of fatigue items (LFESSQ-6). To estimate the positive predictive value of LFESSQ-6, a sample of nurses screened positive were then examined by a rheumatologist to clinically confirm the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The prevalence of fibromyalgia in nursing was estimated by applying the positive predictive value to LFESSQ-positive subjects detected by the questionnaire. They were also asked about their demographics, their work environment, personal and family history, as well as the frequency of episodes of depressed mood through the Patient9s Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). The statistical analysis was based on a logistic regression model used for the multivariate analysis to identify predictive factors of fibromyalgia. Results 485 questionnaires were distributed, with a response rate of 76.3%. 16.8% of the study sample met the criteria of LFESSQ-6. The subsequent rheumatology consultation confirmed the diagnosis of fibromyalgia in 57.14% of positively screened. Applying the positive predicted value in the nursing population, the prevalence of fibromyalgia was estimated of 9.6% using the screening by the LFESSQ -6. The factors that were significantly associated with a positive screening fibromyalgia were: the number of children and sports activities as protective factors on the one hand, and dissatisfaction with salary, lack of group cohesion, and the frequency of episodes of depressed mood as risk factors on the other hand Conclusions Our results suggest that fibromyalgia is prevalent in the nursing population. Some risk factors are modifiable: depression measured by the PHQ- 2, dissatisfaction with salary and a lack of group cohesion. Protective factors were the number of children and the sports activities. References White KP, Harth M, Speechley M, Ostbye T. Testing an instrument to screen for fibromyalgia syndrome in general population studies: the London Fibromyalgia Epidemiology Study Screening Questionnaire. J Rheumatol. 1999 Apr;26(4):880–4. Chaaya M, Slim ZN, Habib RR, Arayssi T, Dana R, Hamdan O, et al. High burden of rheumatic diseases in Lebanon: a COPCORD study. Int J Rheum Dis. 2012 Apr;15(2):136–43. Branco JC, Bannwarth B, Failde I, Abello Carbonell J, Blotman F, Spaeth M, et al. Prevalence of fibromyalgia: a survey in five European countries. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2010 Jun;39(6):448–53. Acknowledgement Nursing administration. Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital, Beirut. Nursing administration. Centre Hospitalier du Nord. Lebanon. Disclosure of Interest None declared